Cyclists ride in Rocafort’s memory

Hundreds of cyclists turned out on Sunday to honor cyclist Miguel Rocafort and appeal for the driver who struck him down on March 31 to surrender to police.

“We’d like to encourage the guy who hit Miguel to turn himself in,” said Eli Stiers, chairman of SafeStreetsMiami, a traffic safety campaign of Green Mobility Network. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Stiers, above left, spoke at the start of the ride in West Kendall, where Rocafort’s wife and stepson appealed for motorists to use caution when passing or meeting bicycles on the street.

The ride was the latest public event organized by SafeStreetsMiami, a project that was launched after cyclist Aaron Cohen was killed by a hit-and-run driver in February. Cohen’s riding partner, Enda Walsh, above center, was at Sunday’s rally to underline the day’s safety message.

“I think there is a prevailing attitude with some people in Miami that it is OK to drive drunk, to run red lights, to hit cyclists and pedestrians and to keep going and not even stop, render aid or take care of them,” Walsh said, “and we need to do everything we can to try and change that attitude.”

Anyone who knows who might have hit Rocafort should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

“We’re going to do everything we can,” Stiers said, “to get justice for Miguel.”